I'm giving this a nudge over to the Preparation -> Power & Illumination board, since that's a better fit.

As for your question, there are people using all kinds of lighting out there. It's a big city, there are thousands who don't like any given type of lighting (as well as thousands who like it). Your primary objective (with what I assume is night-time lighting on your person, though your post doesn't specify) is to make sure that you're visible to others. Even though you think you can see great at night, others (particularly people on bikes or in mutant vehicles) may not be able to see you out in the open playa.

Oh yes, of course as primary concern, whatever works is grand. But as a secondary more aesthetics based concern, I'm just wondering what people generally think of small, fast blinking lights. More and more, though, I'm coming to the conclusion that this will be similar to what people think about people with mega phones which is that they talk over everyone, generally aren't the person you want to hear the most, but should still have the right to be. For me, all the blinking lights is like everyone yelling at my eyes, which they can take, but would also like to express a dislike for.

Also, in the theme of the year, I find that aliens tend to have more solid lights and less blinking ones. And people are more stressed around blinking lights that aren't in sync with them. But this is just how I feel, so I thought I might like to know about everyone else.

Unless you're doing something that potentially causes confusion with emergency lights or has a 'medusa factor' (causes those who gaze upon it to turn to stone, go blind or cause retina damage, immediately have massive seizures, etc) there probably is no such thing as too blinky for Burning Man. At the same time, not blinking at all is perfectly acceptable.

This may be what the folks on reddit were trying to get across. Do what *you* want to do.

"This may be what the folks on reddit were trying to get across. Do what *you* want to do."

I want to make Burning Man a better experience, and my basis for what would make it better is based off what I would like to see. So instead of assuming this is what everyone wants, I'm asking.

Besides, the idea that everyone just doing what they want will work out is silly. If nobody told others to be quiet at the temple burn, it wouldn't be what it is. Or conversely if people weren't told what to bring, there would probably be some shortages of food/water/shelter/smiles.

Regardless, this isn't the conversation I was wanting to have, and it seems out of place on this forum. Does every topic involving the idea of change on the playa lead to this conversation? There certainly is no way pointing out what may be bad behavior in terms of the community without assuming the topic of whether or not there is such thing as playa etiquette has already been covered.

So I think it's best I re-rail this topic. What type of lights do you like most on the playa? Which do you like least?

For me, I like fire the most, and laser pointers on the temple the least.

I may have misread the conversation. I understood it to be a new person posting a question about what kind of lighting to use, but re-reading it looks like you're just griping about blinky lights…. my mistake.

When I first saw a blinky light, it was on the back of a bicycle somewhere the City of Madison. I thought it was kind of stupid looking-- about a second later I realized I had seen the bicyclist much sooner than I would have otherwise, and went out and bought a blinking light for the rear of my bike. I pretty much like any light which decreases the chances of someone getting run-over or otherwise hurt.

I did see some pretty cool looking Christmas light last time I was in the Wisconsin Dells-- they were somehow made so that the water flowed down them (they were banner-like somehow) in cascades of varying color. I have no idea what kind of power source is needed or anything. If I recall correctly, they appeared strung like ordinary light strings.

"Nothing is withheld from us which we have conceived to do.Do things that have never been done."--Russell Kirsch

Thumbz wrote:Besides, the idea that everyone just doing what they want will work out is silly. If nobody told others to be quiet at the temple burn, it wouldn't be what it is. Or conversely if people weren't told what to bring, there would probably be some shortages of food/water/shelter/smiles.

Regardless, this isn't the conversation I was wanting to have, and it seems out of place on this forum. Does every topic involving the idea of change on the playa lead to this conversation? There certainly is no way pointing out what may be bad behavior in terms of the community without assuming the topic of whether or not there is such thing as playa etiquette has already been covered.

Blinky lights are "bad behavior"? Just because you don't like them doesn't mean others don't love them (myself included), or that the fact they use them is "bad behavior". It just means you don't like them.

Do I want to stare into them blinking for hours - usually not. So I move or look away from the lights - it's my choice, and I can control my behavior. To force others to do what I want is just... controlling behavior. Same goes for the Temple Burn, not everyone grieves the same, or grieves quietly. Some people need to howl, or shout, or play "Stairway to Heaven"...

You want change? Create it. Don't tell others how to do something, come up with a better solution & get enough people interested to change the paradigm.

I'm still processing your first sentence in the quote above. It sounds like an incredibly "you MUST paint within the lines" statement.

It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist

As for painting inside the lines, I certainly hope the builders of the man/temple follow the blue prints as best they can. And when it comes to bringing food and water, I really do think it's best if most people "paint inside the lines." Maybe "crossing the line" can become a bad thing depending on which line it is. Point being, it takes both sides to create balance, order and chaos are both necessary.

And if you like blinky lights, just say it. That was the subject: do people like them, do they like a specific kind? Is it just me who looks out on the playa and sometimes thinks "I wonder what it would look like with the fire front stage? Or maybe the strobes, or the color changing, ect.

BAS wrote:I did see some pretty cool looking Christmas light last time I was in the Wisconsin Dells-- they were somehow made so that the water flowed down them (they were banner-like somehow) in cascades of varying color. I have no idea what kind of power source is needed or anything. If I recall correctly, they appeared strung like ordinary light strings.

Thanks for being the first person to politely say what they think about lighting.

Thumbz wrote:And in all seriousness, I think it's the balance between the chaotic blinking effect, and the ordered placement of which amount to such pleasing visuals.

Agreed. It's all in the application of said blinking light. To methodically blink in a repetitious fashion with a singular source of colored light does indeed become monotonous at best and smacks of ill conceived pre-planning on the part of the wearer..

..however, with the proper application, color selection and sequencing of said blink, we have the ability to create grand gestures of radiant deliciousness that illuminate and fill our nocturnal play land with the goodness that is.. LIGHT.

Case in point: The exhibited Cubitron Core.. or.. some freak wearing a 2,440 LED light suit.

Thumbz wrote:Besides, the idea that everyone just doing what they want will work out is silly.

Agreed. Here is my proposed checklist:

1. Is the thing that you are doing causing immediate physical pain or evident danger of injury to other participants?2. Are you unwilling or unable to clean up the result of whatever you are doing?3. Will your proposed activity render you unable to take care of yourself without help from others?4. Will your proposed activity result in the intentional and unauthorized destruction or damage to other participant's stuff?5. Is your activity nothing more than a continued campaign to make one or more other participants miserable, AND these participants have clearly voiced their desire for you to stop?

If the answer to all five questions is no, then I really cannot see why you should not do the activity.

Blinky lights seem ok to me within this framework.

But to answer the new question...

I prefer flickering lights, blink on and then fade, or if you are going to blink, blink out something obscure in morse code.

Here's my vision...and since I have a bar to plan and buy for...I won't be able to do it.

"Darkwads" are the folks who, intentionally or un, ride or walk across the playa at night with NO illumination. They are a hazard to themselves and others. This year, I was berated for being a "darkwad" by two girls who passed me. My forward lights were working, but some shift of the gear, inadvertently shut off my back lights. I explained my situation and told em fuck yer day, then came up with the idea of mounting auto headlights to my bike...pointed in every direction possible. Would probably need a trailer to carry the batteries necessary.

Even worse than a blinky light offender are the assholes on art cars with BRIGHT FUCKING WHITE LIGHTS

I wanted to deflate that Church MV things tires every time it would roll up to a party and light it up as if it was 1pm in the afternoon. Don't you know we got some dilated pupils wandering 'round these parts?!

junglesmacks wrote:Even worse than a blinky light offender are the assholes on art cars with BRIGHT FUCKING WHITE LIGHTS...

This was kind of a dick move, but one of my first years I carried around a really bright LED flashlight for the port-o-poties. Whenever I saw someone with lights like that, I'd shine it straight at them. I also would shine it at cops wandering around the dance floor. It felt pretty liberating, but kind of on the offense.

TomServo wrote:...I explained my situation and told em fuck yer day, then came up with the idea of mounting auto headlights to my bike...pointed in every direction possible. Would probably need a trailer to carry the batteries necessary.

Poetic terrorism? Still thinking on that.

I think that would actually end up more cool than annoying. WIth lights going every direction, one might see nothing more than a really bright orb casting light in every direction. Then again, it could also look super lame...

I use lights in blink mode for the simple reason that the mode gives me much longer run-time. A crappy $1.20 light stick runs all night on 3 button cells when blinking, rather than a few hours. Otherwise I have no attachment to blinking lights.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

I'm in junglesmacks' school of intelligent blink application. My pants were seductively blinding, too. And when I saw junglesmacks clear across the playa, I ran away from my friends and vaulted onto to my bike to make a beeline for the man voted "Least Likely to be Run Over 2012" and say hello.

One advantage of having at least one member of your group wear something distinctive is the ability to find them in the dark. Your whole group can form up on a predefined signal from the blink manager.

BBadger wrote:I use lights in blink mode for the simple reason that the mode gives me much longer run-time. A crappy $1.20 light stick runs all night on 3 button cells when blinking, rather than a few hours. Otherwise I have no attachment to blinking lights.

This is actually why I figured there were so many. I mean, there are definitely people who really like them, but I figured a large amount were like me my first year where I just brought all the cheap led things I had. By the end up the first night, though, I decided that blinking all over the place just seemed like an annoyance to others and left everything my by el-wire at camp.

Also, if I said anything snarky, I'd like break just this once. Really bad day. Thank you.